SOURCE: "Of Human Bondage with a Digression on the Art of Fiction," in The Maugham Enigma, edited by Klaus W. Jonas, The Citadel Press, 1954, pp. 121-28.

In the following transcript of a speech Maugham delivered on April 20, 1946, when he presented the manuscript for Of Human Bondage to the Library of Congress, he explains the genesis of the novel both literally and thematically.

April 20, 1946

Ladies and Gentlemen:

You will remember that one of the characters in Dostoevsky's novel The Possessed remarks that at a literary gathering, such as this, no one should be allowed to discourse for more than twenty minutes. It is true that he is the most odious character in the book, but there is a lot in what he says. I shall try not to exceed this limit. I start by telling you this in case these typescript sheets I have in front of me fill...